5 ms·

You don't think the Lead Engineer leaving a company not long before it's launch is not something to be worried about?

tptacek 15y ago
Because, no way is a message board full of geeks going to come up with a way to justify drama!
jrockway 15y ago
No? Programmers get better offers all the time. Why make less money at an uncertain startup when you can make more money somewhere that has a certain future? I have no idea that this happened, but people leave for reasons other than "the product sucks". In fact, I would guess that compensation and getting along with your coworkers are much bigger factors.
- paulitex 15y ago
  FWIW, it certainly doesn't sound like it was for a better offer. He's actually on the market right now: http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70222704883662848 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70222704883662848 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70221497888808960 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70221497888808960
  - tptacek 15y ago
    Surely, if it's Important to understand why Dave left BankSimple to understand the health of the company, it must also be Important to know what kind of offers Dave has on the table now. Surely this isn't just drama!
    - Goronmon 15y ago
      I personally could care less about his offers. I honestly don't even care about the person in question (no offense, heh). And for most startups this type of stuff wouldn't bother me. If this was a twitter clone, I doubt anyone would care. But when it's a startup whose sole job is to handle and store money, I think it's worth being a bit more paranoid of the goings on within the company. You may disagree, but that's my line of thinking on the subject.
      - tptacek 15y ago
        Give me a break. You don't have the slightest clue who's doing dev work at the companies that handle your money today. PayPal probably loses a lead dev once a week; nobody writes threads about that. This is just a nugget of drama small enough for people to get their nerdy little hands around and hacky-sack across HN. It doesn't help that Dave's someone a lot of people here know. This isn't as big a deal as I'm making it sound, but I don't like arguments that insult our intelligence.
        cliq 15y ago
        This is like talking about 2 people... that are actually in the room... listening... standing next to you.
  - KirinDave 15y ago
    It is flattering to be under such scrutiny. I feel as if the slightest motion of my fingertips could send startups spinning into chaos. Would my medical records and long-form birth certificate be of any use? My cancer history might change how you want to invest your money.
    - paulitex 15y ago
      To be fair, these links all came from twitter - you broadcasted into a very public channel. To an entirely outside observer (eg me) it's worth noting... Personnel is a very big deal in startups, BankSimple is relatively high profile, and you were their 'Lead Developer'. The scrutiny comes with the territory.
      - tptacek 15y ago
        You're talking about it because it's fun to talk about. You don't care that it has practically nothing to do with the topic at hand. And despite the fact that you're talking about a person who's in the room, you're fine with speculating about his career. And, whatever, but don't try to pass it off as high-minded.
    - purephase 15y ago
      No offense, but you come off as a bit of jerk in this whole thread. I think that speaks more than the supposed drama of your departure.
      - KirinDave 15y ago
        Point taken. The next time people try to misattribute subtexts to my tweets to drum up drama, I will try to stay out if the way. Even if that drama might have a negative effect on my career and relationships, I will remain silent.
        purephase 15y ago
        I apologize for my glib comment. Originally, I was on your side and felt the derail was unwarranted given the original context. Perhaps advice we can both benefit from is that the lesser said the better.
  - dsl 15y ago
    I heard Wells Fargo kidnapped his family...
- smackfu 15y ago
  My concern would be "gee, hope he wrote good documentation."
  - nevinera 15y ago
    I sincerely doubt the code is even 5% of the effort that went and is going into making this company. They're building a product in one of the most heavily regulated sectors in a market with an enormous barrier to entry. Dumping the entire codebase and starting from scratch would probably take only a few months, except that the new code would likely have to be re-certified by a dozen agencies.

Because, no way is a message board full of geeks going to come up with a way to justify drama!

No? Programmers get better offers all the time. Why make less money at an uncertain startup when you can make more money somewhere that has a certain future? I have no idea that this happened, but people leave for reasons other than "the product sucks". In fact, I would guess that compensation and getting along with your coworkers are much bigger factors.

paulitex 15y ago
FWIW, it certainly doesn't sound like it was for a better offer. He's actually on the market right now: http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70222704883662848 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70222704883662848 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70221497888808960 http://twitter.com/#!/KirinDave/status/70221497888808960
- tptacek 15y ago
  Surely, if it's Important to understand why Dave left BankSimple to understand the health of the company, it must also be Important to know what kind of offers Dave has on the table now. Surely this isn't just drama!
  - Goronmon 15y ago
    I personally could care less about his offers. I honestly don't even care about the person in question (no offense, heh). And for most startups this type of stuff wouldn't bother me. If this was a twitter clone, I doubt anyone would care. But when it's a startup whose sole job is to handle and store money, I think it's worth being a bit more paranoid of the goings on within the company. You may disagree, but that's my line of thinking on the subject.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      Give me a break. You don't have the slightest clue who's doing dev work at the companies that handle your money today. PayPal probably loses a lead dev once a week; nobody writes threads about that. This is just a nugget of drama small enough for people to get their nerdy little hands around and hacky-sack across HN. It doesn't help that Dave's someone a lot of people here know. This isn't as big a deal as I'm making it sound, but I don't like arguments that insult our intelligence.
      - cliq 15y ago
        This is like talking about 2 people... that are actually in the room... listening... standing next to you.
- KirinDave 15y ago
  It is flattering to be under such scrutiny. I feel as if the slightest motion of my fingertips could send startups spinning into chaos. Would my medical records and long-form birth certificate be of any use? My cancer history might change how you want to invest your money.
  - paulitex 15y ago
    To be fair, these links all came from twitter - you broadcasted into a very public channel. To an entirely outside observer (eg me) it's worth noting... Personnel is a very big deal in startups, BankSimple is relatively high profile, and you were their 'Lead Developer'. The scrutiny comes with the territory.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      You're talking about it because it's fun to talk about. You don't care that it has practically nothing to do with the topic at hand. And despite the fact that you're talking about a person who's in the room, you're fine with speculating about his career. And, whatever, but don't try to pass it off as high-minded.
  - purephase 15y ago
    No offense, but you come off as a bit of jerk in this whole thread. I think that speaks more than the supposed drama of your departure.
    - KirinDave 15y ago
      Point taken. The next time people try to misattribute subtexts to my tweets to drum up drama, I will try to stay out if the way. Even if that drama might have a negative effect on my career and relationships, I will remain silent.
      - purephase 15y ago
        I apologize for my glib comment. Originally, I was on your side and felt the derail was unwarranted given the original context. Perhaps advice we can both benefit from is that the lesser said the better.
- dsl 15y ago
  I heard Wells Fargo kidnapped his family...
smackfu 15y ago
My concern would be "gee, hope he wrote good documentation."
- nevinera 15y ago
  I sincerely doubt the code is even 5% of the effort that went and is going into making this company. They're building a product in one of the most heavily regulated sectors in a market with an enormous barrier to entry. Dumping the entire codebase and starting from scratch would probably take only a few months, except that the new code would likely have to be re-certified by a dozen agencies.